Somebody's Gonna Pee in a Cup, West Coast - Link to new TR 1/21

[Steppesister]

Well, thanks! I hope that at least makes up for some of the many, many instances where I've butchered the English language.

It comes close.

I'm glad to share. And even more happy that someone actually gives a crap.

It seems to be a mutual give-a-crap-athon.

Ok, I'll be here. And you can't get much farther behind than you are now... I mean I've only got maybe 2 or 3 more updates at the most.

Spending the next hour or so right here. That oughtta do it.

 

[Steppesister]

they were going to be leaving the hotel to escort this guest off of the property.

Quite possibly as bad as say, running out of Doritos. Or pizza. Or discovering that you indeed did show up to school in your pj's.

It was finally time to see the show, and I really enjoyed it. But I also enjoy Hall of Presidents.

We are kindred spirits. I love them both, and could actually see them every trip. But then again, my trips are only about every 5 years.

And it is one of the projects that Walt himself was personally passionate about.

Exactly why I also love CoP as well.

holy cow

Yes, these ARE the cows that are milked of Dole Whips.

My food and snack choices at the parks tend to be heavily influenced by convenience and lines.

Indeed! It's all pretty good- honestly you can't really lose on a snack.

I opened the door and the kids were still wide awake.

Of course they were!

I was actually more caught up than I thought. I remember well the update about Mr. Toads, and pretty sure I commented on it as well. So YAY! My work here is finished. Now, off to the surgeons. Joy.

 

[afwdwfan]

It comes close.

Whew, that's a relief!

It seems to be a mutual give-a-crap-athon.

That's good. Because crap is all I have to give...

Spending the next hour or so right here. That oughtta do it.

Seems like it worked.

Quite possibly as bad as say, running out of Doritos. Or pizza. Or discovering that you indeed did show up to school in your pj's.

Makes me think of this one. Here's the nightmare I have... when I was in college, there were a few classes that were ridiculously easy. Like I NEVER went to class. I'd skip class, but get the assignments turned in and go for Exams. My recurring nightmare, to this day, is forgetting to go to one of those classes on exam day. It never happened, I always made it and always did fine, but that is my version of "showing up in your PJ's."

We are kindred spirits. I love them both, and could actually see them every trip. But then again, my trips are only about every 5 years.

I definitely could see them every trip. I don't feel like I have to, but I wouldn't have a problem sitting through them every time.

Exactly why I also love CoP as well.

Yes, these ARE the cows that are milked of Dole Whips.

Indeed! It's all pretty good- honestly you can't really lose on a snack.

Good point. I mean you don't see many threads on the DIS complaining about how nasty this snack or that snack is.

Of course they were!

Because, why would they nap? They know where they are too!

I was actually more caught up than I thought. I remember well the update about Mr. Toads, and pretty sure I commented on it as well. So YAY! My work here is finished. Now, off to the surgeons. Joy.

I'm glad you're all caught up now. I hope the surgeon visit turned out well.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

to be fair, it might just be because it is a change up from all the insurance and financial stuff I read on a daily basis - but I am finding all the farming updates and Corn 101 to be really interesting! We have a small garden (mostly to grow tomatoes and basil to pair with mozzarella - heirloom tomatoes in the store are crazy expensive!) but have a fairly black thumb so very impressed by all of this.

Glad the corn came back and that you are at least getting enough rain. As much as I might like to be in farming one day (growing either grapes for wine or hops for beer) the thought of being so dependent on the weather kinda freaks me out.

 

[afwdwfan]

to be fair, it might just be because it is a change up from all the insurance and financial stuff I read on a daily basis - but I am finding all the farming updates and Corn 101 to be really interesting! We have a small garden (mostly to grow tomatoes and basil to pair with mozzarella - heirloom tomatoes in the store are crazy expensive!) but have a fairly black thumb so very impressed by all of this.

Glad the corn came back and that you are at least getting enough rain. As much as I might like to be in farming one day (growing either grapes for wine or hops for beer) the thought of being so dependent on the weather kinda freaks me out.

I'm glad you're enjoying them! You say you've got a black thumb but I'll admit my success ratio with trees is awful. I've planted probably 10 trees in the past 7 years since we bought this place and 2 of them are still alive.

Being entirely dependent on factors outside your control is very scary. Which is why I don't know if I every want to farm full time. I absolutely love doing it and would enjoy doing the work full time but even though I grew up with that mindset, I've come to appreciate that weekly deposit in my bank account and the fact that I pay very little for health insurance. Hard to want to give those things up.

But that is a decision I might have to make in a few years when dad decides he's ready to retire.

 

[pkondz]

I've planted probably 10 trees in the past 7 rears since we bought this place and 2 of them are still alive.

Well, first off, I can pretty much tell you why they're dying.
And second, I would think that of the two that are still alive,
it would be exceptionally painful for the people who's rears you planted them in.

I'm not even going to ask since you have 10 trees and 7 rears, who got the shaft more than once!


OMG... I'm dying!

 

[afwdwfan]

Time for another quick farm update.

You might remember seeing this picture taken 10 days ago.



Well I was mowing the yard this evening and thought an updated picture might be appreciated. Here's how much the corn grew in just a little over a week. I parked the lawnmower along the edge of the field for a visual reference.



As I mentioned when we were applying anhydrous ammonia, once the corn gets nitrogen and moisture it really starts to grow. And our corn is off to a great start.

The soybeans this year look like crap so far but a lot can change.

I am a little bit concerned though. So far we've been getting the perfect amounts of rain. We're getting exactly what we need, when we need it. But nothing more. Which is great. Except we were supposed to get slammed with up to about 2" today and we got .2". That's not a bad thing but it seems to be a pattern. All the big clouds seem to be missing us. That's fine for now but the corn gets awfully thirsty around the first or second week of July when it pollinates. We've got enough moisture for now but I sure hope we aren't dodging rain clouds during pollination. 2012 was the worst crop we've ever had. It was 90+ degrees and bone dry all July. June isn't a make or break month for corn but July certainly can be.

I stood on top of the mower and took another picture. I don't know if you can tell but there is a distinct color difference in the corn across the field. We have a 16 row planter and we're doing a side by side comparison of a couple of different seeds in this field. The 8 rows in the right side were one kind of seed and the 8 on the left were another. Splitting the planter like that gives us a chance to see how each seed variety does over all in comparison to the other but we can also get a good idea how each one stacks up against the other in the various soil types and other conditions like wet or dry spots across the field. We do this on a few fields every year and it gives us some information to help decide what to plant in which fields the following year.



And last but not least, we don't raise any wheat on our farm. It can be profitable but what tends to be a problem crop in our area. It isn't a consistent producer and can be a big time money maker one year and then be in the red the next. But where I work as a grain buyer, we do purchase wheat. I took this picture of one of my customers' fields. We should see the combines in the fields harvesting wheat within days.

 

[afwdwfan]

@pkondz That's what I get for trying to post from my stupid phone.

 

[pkondz]

You might remember seeing this picture taken 10 days ago.

Here's how much the corn grew in just a little over a week

Mutant corn!
Holy cow (no pun intended... well, maybe a little) that grew fast!!

I am a little bit concerned though. So far we've been getting the perfect amounts of rain. We're getting exactly what we need, when we need it. But nothing more. Which is great. Except we were supposed to get slammed with up to about 2" today and we got .2". That's not a bad thing but it seems to be a pattern. All the big clouds seem to be missing us. That's fine for now but the corn gets awfully thirsty around the first or second week of July when it pollinates. We've got enough moisture for now but I sure hope we aren't dodging rain clouds during pollination. 2012 was the worst crop we've ever had. It was 90+ degrees and bone dry all July. June isn't a make or break month for corn but July certainly can be.

There's two states of mind for farmers. 1. Angry about the weather. 2. Worried about the weather.

I don't know if you can tell but there is a distinct color difference in the corn across the field.

You can easily see it.

We do this on a few fields every year and it gives us some information to help decide what to plant in which fields the following year.

Makes sense.

It isn't a consistent producer and can be a big time money maker one year and then be in the red the next.

We grow quite a bit up here in the prairies. Although I think Canola is taking over. At least I see a lot of it.

We should see the combines in the fiekds harvesting wheat within days.

Wow. There's nothing but dirt up here. Nothing growing at all yet.

 

[afwdwfan]

A Disgrace to the Forces of Evil.

I had just returned to the room after my amazing solo time at Disneyland to find the kids still wide awake and DW sleeping.

Hey, she got her nap. I don’t think she’ll mind.

I wasn’t in the room long at all and we were back out the door by about 3:30.

When we got to the park, we quickly made it through the turnstiles. Someone apparently must have been proud that we let him handle his own ticket on the way into the park.

​

We had FP for BTMRR and the window was already open. Naturally, this was our first stop once we were back in the park.

DS, once again, had a blast. I think he was loving the rider swap system and the fact that he was getting plenty of rides on this one!

We’d covered most of our must-do’s by this point but there were still just a few left that we wanted to do. We still wanted to see Mickey’s Magical Map, but there was a little bit of time left before we had to get to the next show. So we decided to hop on the train.

We went to the New Orleans Square station and our plan was to do a loop and get off and then head to see the show. Or maybe ride the loop and then go on around one more stop and get off at Toontown/Fantasyland.

I was surprised to board the train and find that the seats are sideways in the cars, and not like the ones at MK. The cars are actually set up like the ones at AK where you face the inside of the loop as you go around the park.

It was disappointing that the entire Critter Country area was walled off completely. We never even had an opportunity to even glance in and check it all out. We were blocked from reaching it from the walkways, and even on the train, they had dark screens up to obstruct the views. We were riding along looking at a black wall and listening to a narration about Splash Mountain.

Talk about a let down.

The train at DL has stops in New Orleans Square, ToonTown/Fantasyland - I’m not sure which you’d call it because it is basically right between the 2 lands, Tomorrowland and Main Street.

We had a little bit of a surprise as we were riding the train. After you pass the Tomorrowland station, the train enters a tunnel. And the next thing you know…

Dinosaurs!

Seriously! I didn’t know this existed. But it was kind of cool. There’s a diorama of dinosaurs and other sorts of prehistoric wildlife. I guess just to give us something to look at while we’re inside the tunnel since it takes almost the whole length of track from Tomorrowland to Main Street. It wasn’t anything super special, but I thought it was kind of cool.

You know.

Because, dinosaurs.

We ended up getting off the train when we got to MS because DS needed the restrooms. We took care of that and headed on through the park towards Fantasyland by foot. We made it just a few minutes before Mickey’s Magical Map started.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this show. But we arrived and at the theater’s entrance there were restrooms and carts selling snacks. It kind of led me to think that it was going to be a long show, so we grabbed a couple of frozen lemonades from the cart and went to find some seats. We were about ⅓ of the way from the very back of the theater and right next to the aisle that would be nearest the center of the stage.

There were tons of empty seats when the show started.

We scoped our seats out and found a great location where both kids had nothing but several rows of empty seats in front of them so they could see.

Just as the show was starting, a couple of people came and sat down literally right in front of DS and DD. The entire row was empty. 20 rows in front of them was empty. And they chose to sit right in front of the kids.

I can’t blame them. The show was starting, they probably just sat in the first seats they saw. Thankfully our row was empty as well so we just slid over a little bit.


And that’s about the time they decided to get up and go find a spot closer to the front of the theater.


Oh well. Not a big deal by any stretch, but a minor annoyance.

The show itself was great. I the premise is that Mickey is an apprentice and gets carried away trying to paint this spot on the magical map and he ends up being taken to visit characters from some Disney movies as a result.

It kind of reminded me of a live action Mickey’s Philharmagic, in a way.

This show consists of the Magical Map, which has some video aspects, but most of the show is live action and puppetry on the stage. And there are places for Mickey and actors to get up in front of the map and interact with it.

Its a good show. I think it lasts about 15 or 20 minutes though. When we walked in and saw the set and the theater and the fact that they were selling snacks, I figured we were settling in for a long show. It felt like it was over before it began.

Which is kind of good I guess. 20 minutes isn’t nothing, and the show was good enough that it left us wanting more.

After the show ended, we had to stop at the restroom again.

Apparently, while DW was asleep and I was in the parks, DS had helped himself to the rest of the Sprite that had been stashed in the fridge from when he was sick earlier in the week.

We weren’t in a hurry to get anywhere or do anything so we asked the kids what they wanted to do.


Word of advice.


Never ask your kids what they want to do when you’re standing in view of It’s a Small World.

​

Again, with the holiday overlay and the altered soundtrack, it really was enjoyable. The kids loved it as always and since we’d ridden it once already, I was paying more attention to the holiday overlay part. Like looking at how the overlay was incorporated and trying to figure out how much of it had come down since the first time we rode the day before.

After the cruise, we wanted to knock off one other item that isn’t available in Disney World.

Aurora’s Castle is actually an attraction itself. You can enter the castle and walk up some stairs and there is an entire walkthrough attraction. You see several dioramas that outline parts of the story of Sleeping Beauty. It’s kind of a neat attraction, but it is very dark in there. DD actually kind of freaked out on us a little bit.


I mean let’s face it… There aren’t many characters that are scarier than Maleficent.


And speaking of Maleficent, there is one point in the “tour” where you go around a corner to a hallway. And at the far end of the hallway there is a shadow that goes across the wall every once in a while of Maleficent’s well known profile. Kind of spooky, but really cool!

While at the castle, we decided to step out front and take advantage of the PP.

​

We went back to Fantasyland and the kids asked to ride the carousel.

I asked to do something else. It was dark. And there is one certain ride that I always love riding after dark at WDW. I just couldn’t help but wonder if it’s counterpart became a little bit extra special after dark as well.

So I grabbed some FP for later.

DS was using the end of his belt to whip his horse like he was trying to win the Triple Crown.

​

And apparently this was the last picture DW took all night.

After his thrilling race, DS asked to use the restroom, once again.

Seriously? I didn’t even know we had that much Sprite left in the fridge!

DW took him to the restrooms between Fantasyland and Frontierland, while DD and I headed in to Village Haus to order some food. I went with the cheeseburger again. The one I had at Tomorrowland Terrace was good, but I remembered thinking that WDW just does burgers a little bit better. I wanted to give the DL burgers another try. For research purposes, of course. I mean, it isn’t like I don’t enjoy eating a burger anyway.

After we ordered and while we were waiting on our food, one of the CM’s behind the counter assembling the meals came up and started chatting with me. They weren’t busy at all in there. We had no wait to order and only a few tables were occupied.

He asked where we were from and how long we were there. We talked for a little bit. We were there during a time that I expected the place to be more crowded for the dinner rush. I asked him if it we lucked out or if it is always so slow in there. He just laughed and started telling me about Anna and Elsa. Our trip was shortly after A&E moved to their home in DCA. Prior to that, they were available for meet & greets in Fantasyland. Apparently very close to Village Haus. He told me that when they were there, Village Haus was crazy. With a 2 hour line to meet A&E right next door he said it kept a steady stream moving through there. He told me it had been very slow like that ever since they moved to the other park.

It wasn’t much, but it did help continue to redeem the Disneyland CM’s in my eyes. As I mentioned, it wasn’t that they weren’t good overall. I don’t have any real complaints about CM’s there.


You know, other than the fact that they can’t tell you anything about road closures. But I digress.


I just didn’t get that overall sense that they wanted to go above and beyond the way I’ve always felt that WDW CM’s do. But with our experience on RSR and then in Village Haus I finally got to see some CM’s who have worked in the parks for a long time, love their jobs and wanted to go the extra mile to make sure their guests enjoyed their time in the parks.

Our food came out and we found a table. As if we actually had to look for one.

My first assessment from Tomrrowland Terrace about the burger situation was upheld. Disneyland QS is better, overall. But WDW has slightly better burgers.

Even though I’m sure they’re exactly the same things prepared the same exact way. There was just something about the ones I had in DL that just didn’t seem quite the same… Maybe it was the buns?


Or maybe DL gets grass fed beef. Yeah, I’m going with that theory. Grass fed is the trendy thing, but if you want good flavor it needs to be corn fed.


I had just finished eating when DS had to go to the restroom…

We took care of that and when we got back to the table, DW and DD were ready to move on to the next thing. DW requested Snow White’s Scary Adventure since we couldn’t ride it at WDW anymore. We got in line and were on the ride in no time. The kids handled it well and didn’t seem to get too scared. So I guess it was a success!

I checked the time on the FP’s I had in my pocket and it still wasn’t quite time to use them yet.

And since we just ate, I wasn’t very hungry.

But I couldn’t help but think about that Dole Whip that I didn’t get earlier that afternoon.

So I made the suggestion that we go over to the Tiki Room. You know, because the kids love it!

The hub area was packed. We had to fight our way across and then find a spot to park the stroller outside of the Tiki Room. This was no small feat. I was carrying DS while DW was pushing the stroller with DD in it. We got separated for a bit, but she was able to find an open spot and get the stroller parked. We walked through the turnstile into the Tiki Room waiting area.

I turned to head for the Dole Whip stand.

When the CM at the door announced last call to enter the show.

The kids were getting tired.

Waiting outside through the length of a whole show just wasn’t going to work well for us.

So no Dole Whip for me.

The show was enjoyable as always. Yes. I enjoyed it. I remember seeing it at WDW when I was little and I was always fascinated by it. Now that I’m older and understand how it all works, it is less fascinating, but still something that I enjoy checking out when I can. And our kids just absolutely love it. They sing along with the birds and just have a great time. There’s no way we’re skipping it if they enjoy it that much.

There was one minor incident during the show. A lady sitting in the front row had a balloon and instead of holding the string close to the balloon itself and keeping it low and out of the way, she let it go all the way up. It wasn’t really in my way, but I could see it in my peripheral vision and it was slightly annoying. I kind of felt bad for the people sitting behind her though.

But it wasn’t a minute into the show before another lady 2 rows behind her, leaned across the top of the people in between them, tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to keep the balloon down. There was a small round of applause in the theater at that point.

The show ended and DS had someplace he needed to go. Wanna guess???

DW headed off with him to the restrooms between Adventureland and Frontierland. I took DD to get the stroller and meet them there. By that point, those FP’s in my pocket were good and it was time to put them to use. We headed on into Frontierland.

Thanks to those fantastic rider swap passes, DS was going to get to ride BTMRR after dark… twice!

I really didn’t expect to get an opportunity to ride BTMRR 3 times. Heck, I was just glad it worked out that I got FP earlier that afternoon so we could do it twice. But here we were going for our third ride. And it was dark!

I thoroughly enjoyed my third ride. It was incredible. And BTMRR does get a little bit better when the sun goes down in DL too. But I’ve got to say that I do prefer the night time experience on Disney World’s version just a little bit better. I think it has something to do with the lighting and those views of the castle lit up in all it’s majesty off in the distance that you get at WDW that DL lacks. Still, it was incredible and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to ride 3 times.

But DS… the kid got 6 rides on BTMRR. And I think he’d have ridden it 6 more times if he could!

DW actually rode first with DS while DD and I checked out the pin store next to the shooting gallery. MiL had sent some money with DW and she wanted us to get each of the kids a pin with it. I took DD in to pick hers and she pointed at the first thing she saw. It was Chip, Dale and Pluto. I tried to show her some others, but the girl was tired. She crashed on me in the store. I found a pin for Luigi’s Flying Tires, and it only seemed too appropriate. We ended up adding some of our money to what MiL gave them to spend and they each got 2 pins. 1 character pin and one attraction pin. DS picked out a Goofy pin and a BTMRR pin after he and DW rode. She stayed in the store to make the purchases while DS and I went to ride.

It might just be me, but I felt like it is just darker in DL at night than it is in the MK. I’m not complaining, because I like the ambience of it. But there just isn’t as much general area light to light the walkways and common areas of the park. DW was looking for a shirt that she saw earlier in the week and we made plans to meet at a bench right outside of the pin store when we got done. Since I didn’t have a phone, the park was getting jam packed, and it was dark we felt the need to be specific.

We returned from our ride and the bench was empty. DS and I had a seat and waited.

We people watched.

We got bored.

He asked for popcorn. I told him we couldn’t leave because we were supposed to meet DW and DD there.

We waited some more. DS was getting grumpy. I was getting grumpy. We had to find something to do to kill the time.

It took me long enough, but it finally hit me that we were sitting maybe 10 feet away from the shooting gallery. No better place to teach a 5 year old how to handle a rifle than the shooting gallery at Disneyland.

I think we spent 5 or 6 bucks there. Which is fine, it is nothing special, but it was fun to hit some of the targets and see the special effects that took place. It was a good way to kill some time.

We decided to go back over and sit down. The bench was still empty. We hadn’t been sitting for long when DS found Mommy. She was sitting on a bench on the other side of the street. Again, with the crowds and darkness I have no idea how he spotted her. But he did.

We went over there and I asked her why she went to the wrong bench. She told me that she came back to where we were meeting and there was another family sitting on the bench so she went across the street so she could sit down.

Apparently, she was there before we were even done riding BTMRR. When we returned, the bench was empty. When we went to the shooting gallery, I kept watching the bench to see if she came back and it remained empty. We had been sitting within maybe 100 feet of each other the whole time and we had no idea.

I went over and sat down next to DW. We had succeeded in doing pretty much everything we had set out to do in Disneyland. But it was Friday night and we were finally going to be able to see the Disneyland fireworks. It was the only night they had fireworks while we were there.

It was over an hour before the fireworks would start, so we decided to just sit and people watch for a while. DS was getting tired. We knew he was going to fall asleep so I got DD out of the stroller and held her.

Always carry the lighter one. That’s my theory anyway.

Before long, both kids were sound asleep and DW and I were enjoying just being off of our feet and relaxing on a nice comfortable bench in the middle of Disneyland. It was a perfect evening.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last long.

A CM came over and told us we needed to get up because they needed the bench.

What???

Apparently, they take all the benches in the area of Frontierland and line them end to end to form a wall for crowd control to keep people leaving Fantasmic! from heading straight to the hub or something? It looked like they were blocking it off so that the crowd would have to cut through Adventureland and go back to Main Street that way. Fantasmic! wasn’t even starting until 8:45 and it was before 8:30 when they made us get up so they could move the benches.

We reluctantly got up and headed back out to the hub. We were looking for a good place to watch the fireworks. The hub and Main Street weren’t very crowded yet so DW found a CM and asked her where she suggested we should stand. She said anywhere that you can see the castle will be fine, but she suggested finding a spot in the middle of Main Street somewhere. She told us that they’d be roping off the sidewalks soon and we’d be able to find a spot to stand in MS while traffic would be diverted around MS and onto the sidewalks.

No sooner had she said that than other CM’s were out in force setting up ropes and signs directing traffic. We got inside one of the rope corrals on Main Street.


But we still had to wait 45 minutes before the fireworks would start.


And I was holding a sleeping 3 year old with no place to sit down.


The CM’s were out directing traffic as they came in. People would walk into the park on the sidewalks on either side of MS. We were standing in the street right next to a crossing that was left open. They were directing all incoming traffic to turn right and access the rest of the park by going through Tomorrowland and going around the outside pathways instead of cutting through the hub. I could tell they were clearly doing this to keep people from running head on into the rush coming from Fantasmic! after it ended, but it amazed me how many people just blatantly ignored them.

I was getting extremely uncomfortable holding DD. I had to go find something to at least lean on for a while. I left our little roped off area and went and stood on the sidewalk. I know they were trying to keep the sidewalk clear, but there was a CM just a couple of steps from me trying to stop the flow of people heading towards Adventureland. I think she took mercy on me and never asked me to move. I ended up kind of sitting/leaning on a railing around a flowerbed. I could at least take some weight off my feet and lower DD down onto the top of one of my legs. We still had almost a half hour until the fireworks started, and this really helped a lot.

I stood there while DW held our spot down in the street. DS was still out cold. I think we were probably about 15 minutes away from the fireworks starting when I noticed the Goofy Glacier machines in the candy store right there on the end of Main Street.

It was just a few steps away. And I was getting thirsty. And pretty warm from holding a sleeping child.

That was all the justification I needed. I walked on over and grabbed a Goofy Glacier to enjoy while I watched the fireworks.

I met back up with DW, and the street was getting more crowded. But still not bad at all. We had a good view and plenty of room. It was only a few minutes before showtime.


And clearly that’s when Fantasmic! ended and everything got crazy!


The CM’s who had been trying to keep people from walking towards Adventureland made themselves scarce. If you chose to go that way, you were just gonna get trampled and it wasn’t their problem anymore. A sea of humanity spilled out of Adventureland and into Main Street. The corral we were in waiting to watch the fireworks was soon busting at the seams. We had a family of about 8 people with no respect for personal space cram into a little tiny area right in front of our stroller. I guess it wasn’t too big of a deal. DS was asleep so it isn’t like he was going to watch the fireworks anyway. But if they’d even so much as taken one step back they’d be sitting in his lap. I’m tall enough that I could still see fine, but DW ended up moving over to our right a bit so she could see around them.

Just like our experience with Mickey’s Magical Map, as soon as DW moved, this family apparently located a better viewing spot and left.

It was about then that the fireworks began.


We looked on in awe.


And I’ve got to tell you, watching them over Aurora’s castle just isn’t the same as watching them over Cinderella Castle.

While I’m used to watching fireworks going off around a castle that is lit up beautifully… that’s just not quite how it worked in Disneyland. The castle was lit up somewhat, but the lights were dimmed and it was little more than a shadow underneath the fireworks that were going off way above it.

I don’t know, it might have been better had we been farther down MS towards Town Square, but it just emphasized to me how small the castle was. The fireworks were so high above that it didn’t feel like the castle was actually part of the show in the same way that it is for Wishes.

And honestly, when the show ended, DW and I both looked at each other and asked if that was it.

It was a good show, don’t get me wrong. I’m glad we stuck around to see it. But it just didn’t seem as long or spectacular as the show we’re used to seeing in Wishes.

And I get it. I really do. The park is close to a residential neighborhood. I mean literally if you look across the street from Disneyland hotel there are houses. Who wants to hear a huge firework show being shot off in their backyard all the time?


But I guess we had greater expectations for what the show would be. So it was a little bit of a letdown to end our night.


And it might have been that we were tired and I was just not loving life at the moment because I was in so much discomfort from standing up holding DD for about an hour.


The park was going to be open until midnight, but with an early flight in the morning, and 2 sleeping kids we just couldn’t justify hanging around any longer. We followed the masses down Main Street and towards Town Square.

We exited towards our right and I kind of paused for a moment in front of the Fire Station. I found Walt’s light in the window and took one last look. I don’t know if or when I’ll ever get back out there and I just had to take a moment to thank him for all the good times and great memories he has provided me with over the years.

We got back to the room and finished packing before going to bed. It had been a whirlwind of a visit to Disneyland with a little bit of a rocky start. But it was worth every minute.

 

[franandaj]

I was surprised to board the train and find that the seats are sideways in the cars, and not like the ones at MK. The cars are actually set up like the ones at AK where you face the inside of the loop as you go around the park.

I think it depends on which train you get, there is one sideways and a few that face forward.

Dinosaurs!

Seriously! I didn’t know this existed. But it was kind of cool. There’s a diorama of dinosaurs and other sorts of prehistoric wildlife. I guess just to give us something to look at while we’re inside the tunnel since it takes almost the whole length of track from Tomorrowland to Main Street. It wasn’t anything super special, but I thought it was kind of cool.

This is one of my favorite things, but I've not seen it in years. Maybe this afternoon.

Just as the show was starting, a couple of people came and sat down literally right in front of DS and DD. The entire row was empty. 20 rows in front of them was empty. And they chose to sit right in front of the kids.

I hate it when people do this with no regard to anyone else.

Oh well. Not a big deal by any stretch, but a minor annoyance.

Yeah, but obviously they are the only ones in their world.

So no Dole Whip for me.

But it wasn’t a minute into the show before another lady 2 rows behind her, leaned across the top of the people in between them, tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to keep the balloon down. There was a small round of applause in the theater at that point.

Before long, both kids were sound asleep and DW and I were enjoying just being off of our feet and relaxing on a nice comfortable bench in the middle of Disneyland. It was a perfect evening.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last long.

A CM came over and told us we needed to get up because they needed the bench.

It was a good show, don’t get me wrong. I’m glad we stuck around to see it. But it just didn’t seem as long or spectacular as the show we’re used to seeing in Wishes.

I heard that prior to the 60th Anniversary, they had a lackluster fireworks show that was only about 5 minutes long. Supposedly the current fireworks show is pretty good.

We exited towards our right and I kind of paused for a moment in front of the Fire Station. I found Walt’s light in the window and took one last look. I don’t know if or when I’ll ever get back out there and I just had to take a moment to thank him for all the good times and great memories he has provided me with over the years.

I always do that as well. Especially when leaving at night.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

that is kind of a bummer that they had that whole section curtained off so you were just looking at a black tarp while on the train. I can imagine that dinosaur scene being a shock if you didn't know it was part of the ride

The Magic Map show sounds fun - glad you enjoyed it

I hadn't heard about the Maleficent shadow effect - that sounds pretty cool

Man, kinda rude of Anna and Elsa not to think the impact their move would have on the local economy of the area they left

Your comments about the CMs is interesting as generally I hear more positive things about those at DL compared to WDW (especially recently)

That's cool your son got to ride BTMRR 6 times and that you got to ride it at night ... it definitely is an even better ride at night at WDW!

Kinda silly of you to think you can just sit on an open bench like that .... sigh - though seems like they know what they are doing as far as the impact of the crowd coming out of Fantasmic!

Gotta love the people that just squish in to an area, not thinking/caring that the people there have been standing there for quite some time

Sorry you weren't more impressed with the fireworks - though I am sure the fact you were tired and the kids were sleeping and you had waited 45 mins negatively impacted things.

Sounds like a great visit overall .... though looking forward to hearing how things worked out with leaving the parking lot

 

[jandlinz]

Thanks so much for the DL trip report. It will be very helpful when we plan on going. We were going to do WDW in 2016 and DL in 2017. Do you have any must do's at DL or tips that would be helpful? Do you think staying on property at DL would be worth it? We were thinking of renting a house, but after reading your trip report it has me rethinking.
So glad you got to experience some great CMs. It sounds like the kids enjoyed their last night. How fun that your son got to ride BTMRR 6 times! Lucky boy!
I never knew about Aurora's castle. Do they let you take pictures inside?
So sad the firework display was a bit of a let down. Wishes is my favorite, so I can see how it'd be hard to beat.
-Lindsey

 

[Wood Nymph]

I've enjoyed following your trip report. I love the comparisons between DL and WDW. I'm not sure that we will ever get to DL, since I really don't have any desire to visit the L.A. area, so it is nice to read about what is there. I would love for WDW to add Carsland and Mickey's Magical Map and a few other big favorites from DL.

 

[afwdwfan]

Mutant corn!
Holy cow (no pun intended... well, maybe a little) that grew fast!!

It does grow fast this time of year. Like I said, you get some nitrogen to it and a little bit of rain. Combine that with some 80 degree days and it grows fast.

There's two states of mind for farmers. 1. Angry about the weather. 2. Worried about the weather.

We grow quite a bit up here in the prairies. Although I think Canola is taking over. At least I see a lot of it.

I've heard that. Never been up there. And I know very little about canola. But I did have to study and write a paper in college about a lawsuit between Monsanto and a canola farmer in Canada. That was fun.

Wow. There's nothing but dirt up here. Nothing growing at all yet.

Well, at least the snow is gone so you can see the dirt. That's something.

I do not know a lot about wheat. Wheat isn't really a primary crop around here and we don't grow any so I don't really know a whole lot about it. But there are a LOT of different kinds of wheat. What is grown around here is called soft red winter wheat. It is planted in the fall after corn and beans are harvested. Usually in October sometime. The wheat will come up and get a few inches tall and then go dormant in the winter. Once the weather warms up, it starts growing again and is typically ready to be harvested around the end of June or first part of July.

A lot of the farmers here who grow wheat will plant soybeans right after they harvest it. The beans will have a pretty significant yield loss compared to the beans planted earlier in the season, but you can usually count on at least breaking even on double crop beans, and if we catch a few late season rains at the right time, they can do really well.

I think it depends on which train you get, there is one sideways and a few that face forward.

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info!

This is one of my favorite things, but I've not seen it in years. Maybe this afternoon.

Jealous. So did you?

I hate it when people do this with no regard to anyone else.

It was frustrating, but not that bad. It just seemed like we had a target on us.

I heard that prior to the 60th Anniversary, they had a lackluster fireworks show that was only about 5 minutes long. Supposedly the current fireworks show is pretty good.

Actually, I'm glad to hear this. I thought maybe it was just me. I wanted to say that I thought the fireworks were only 5 or 10 minutes, but I didn't time it. It seems like I might not have been so far off of what I thought it was.

I always do that as well. Especially when leaving at night.

 

[afwdwfan]

that is kind of a bummer that they had that whole section curtained off so you were just looking at a black tarp while on the train. I can imagine that dinosaur scene being a shock if you didn't know it was part of the ride

It was disappointing. I'd have liked to at least get a little peak at that land, but I understand why they did it that way.

The Magic Map show sounds fun - glad you enjoyed it

It was a good show. Not as good as Aladdin, but worth taking the time to see.

I hadn't heard about the Maleficent shadow effect - that sounds pretty cool

Man, kinda rude of Anna and Elsa not to think the impact their move would have on the local economy of the area they left

They clearly don't care about their trade partners in Wesselton.

Your comments about the CMs is interesting as generally I hear more positive things about those at DL compared to WDW (especially recently)

Same here. I think the fact that I couldn't get questions answered early on is what really soured me on them. Never once have I essentially been told "I don't know" at WDW. Any time I've ever asked a question, they'll either know an answer or find out for me. I was pretty disappointed by that and I never had any extra special CM interactions to help redeem them until that final day.

That's cool your son got to ride BTMRR 6 times and that you got to ride it at night ... it definitely is an even better ride at night at WDW!

It is at Disneyland too. I'm glad we got to do it.

Kinda silly of you to think you can just sit on an open bench like that .... sigh - though seems like they know what they are doing as far as the impact of the crowd coming out of Fantasmic!

Yeah, I can't blame them. It's a very crowded area after the show and it makes sense what they were doing. But really? We couldn't sit there for another half hour or so? They had to move the benches before the show even started?

Gotta love the people that just squish in to an area, not thinking/caring that the people there have been standing there for quite some time

There's a square inch of asphalt! We can cram in there!

Sorry you weren't more impressed with the fireworks - though I am sure the fact you were tired and the kids were sleeping and you had waited 45 mins negatively impacted things.

Yeah, it surely didn't help.

Sounds like a great visit overall .... though looking forward to hearing how things worked out with leaving the parking lot

It was a lot of fun. I'm glad we had the opportunity to go!

Thanks so much for the DL trip report. It will be very helpful when we plan on going. We were going to do WDW in 2016 and DL in 2017. Do you have any must do's at DL or tips that would be helpful? Do you think staying on property at DL would be worth it? We were thinking of renting a house, but after reading your trip report it has me rethinking.
So glad you got to experience some great CMs. It sounds like the kids enjoyed their last night. How fun that your son got to ride BTMRR 6 times! Lucky boy!
I never knew about Aurora's castle. Do they let you take pictures inside?
So sad the firework display was a bit of a let down. Wishes is my favorite, so I can see how it'd be hard to beat.
-Lindsey

I'll do a little bit of a closing post about some of my thoughts about DL and look at some things in relation to WDW. But my must do's are going to be anything that you can't do at WDW and things that are slightly different at DL. How long do you plan to stay at DL?

As for staying on property... I'm not sure it is worth it, honestly. There are places you can stay off property and have just as close of a walk as on property hotels for less money. I do like the fact that you get early entry every morning by staying on site. If you stay off property and buy a 3 day ticket you still get 1 day of early entry, but I appreciated being able to use that every day during our trip. I guess if it is like our trip was and you're looking at is as a once in a lifetime thing and you want to experience it all, I'd stay on site. If you want it to be more budget friendly, I don't think I'd hesitate to stay off site.

You can take pictures in the castle. Again, my phone was broke so I was unable to take any. And I think DD was clinging to DW so she didn't even get her phone out to take any.

I agree with you about Wishes. This show just didn't even come close to Wishes! But as Alison pointed out above, they changed things up and got a new show for the 60th celebration, so hopefully it is more impressive!

I've enjoyed following your trip report. I love the comparisons between DL and WDW. I'm not sure that we will ever get to DL, since I really don't have any desire to visit the L.A. area, so it is nice to read about what is there. I would love for WDW to add Carsland and Mickey's Magical Map and a few other big favorites from DL.

I kind of felt that way about DL a few years ago. Had it not been for the conference in San Diego I'm not sure I'd have ever made it out there. But having done it, I'd gladly go back again if I could. It's just a situation where I'd have to have another reason to go out there as well. I love Disneyland, but we can get to WDW cheaper and easier than DL.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Someone apparently must have been proud that we let him handle his own ticket on the way into the park.

We had a little bit of a surprise as we were riding the train. After you pass the Tomorrowland station, the train enters a tunnel. And the next thing you know…

Dinosaurs!

FUn!

Word of advice.


Never ask your kids what they want to do when you’re standing in view of It’s a Small World.

DS was using the end of his belt to whip his horse like he was trying to win the Triple Crown.

There was one minor incident during the show. A lady sitting in the front row had a balloon and instead of holding the string close to the balloon itself and keeping it low and out of the way, she let it go all the way up. It wasn’t really in my way, but I could see it in my peripheral vision and it was slightly annoying. I kind of felt bad for the people sitting behind her though.

Apparently, she was there before we were even done riding BTMRR. When we returned, the bench was empty. When we went to the shooting gallery, I kept watching the bench to see if she came back and it remained empty. We had been sitting within maybe 100 feet of each other the whole time and we had no idea.

Always carry the lighter one. That’s my theory anyway.

Work Smarter not Harder that's my motto.

And I was holding a sleeping 3 year old with no place to sit down.

We exited towards our right and I kind of paused for a moment in front of the Fire Station. I found Walt’s light in the window and took one last look. I don’t know if or when I’ll ever get back out there and I just had to take a moment to thank him for all the good times and great memories he has provided me with over the years.

 

[amazingact21]

I couldn't help but laugh at the observation that you should never ask kids what they want to do when you're next to It's a Small World. Very good advice to follow.


Man, 6 rides on BTMRR...lucky DS! It'll be a bummer for him when his sister gets big enough to ride the coasters and there's no more rider swaps available.


Yikes, the after Fantasmic crowds sound nuts.



I'd never really thought of the fireworks being different at DL. But I can definitely can see how the smaller castle could affect the show. It plays a role in Wishes, after all. For what it's worth, I watched the updated version online and since they added the projections everywhere, I think DL upped the WOW factor.

I'm sure some people would get sick of living right next to Disneyland, but that sounds awesome to me.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

A Disgrace to the Forces of Evil.

Fools! Idiots! Imbeciles!

I had just returned to the room after my amazing solo time at Disneyland to find the kids still wide awake and DW sleeping.

We’ll see if this doesn’t come back to haunt y’all later on.

When we got to the park, we quickly made it through the turnstiles. Someone apparently must have been proud that we let him handle his own ticket on the way into the park.

Big boy stuff!

We had FP for BTMRR and the window was already open. Naturally, this was our first stop once we were back in the park.

One fine way to start off an afternoon…

It was disappointing that the entire Critter Country area was walled off completely.

Y’all did have to deal with a lot of closures; one potential downside to being there that time of year.
You did make the most of what was there though.

We had a little bit of a surprise as we were riding the train. After you pass the Tomorrowland station, the train enters a tunnel. And the next thing you know…

Dinosaurs!

Did not know that…
But have never been, there is much I don’t know about the Flagship.
That needs to change.

We ended up getting off the train when we got to MS because DS needed the restrooms.

Excuse me, sir. Seeing as how the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we keep the PC on the QT? 'Cause if it leaks to the VC he could end up MIA, and then we'd all be put on KP.


Sorry… couldn’t resist.
I’ll be good now.

we grabbed a couple of frozen lemonades from the cart and went to find some seats.

A good plan regardless.

Just as the show was starting, a couple of people came and sat down literally right in front of DS and DD. The entire row was empty. 20 rows in front of them was empty. And they chose to sit right in front of the kids.

Aaaaaaarrrrrrgggggg!

…so we just slid over a little bit.

Well… OK… but still!

the premise is that Mickey is an apprentice and gets carried away…

Odd.. that sounds somewhat familiar.

Its a good show.

And something else I’ve actually never heard of.
Will have to consider that one as well.

Apparently, while DW was asleep and I was in the parks, DS had helped himself to the rest of the Sprite that had been stashed in the fridge from when he was sick earlier in the week.

Sneaky!
Paying for it just a mite now, but sneaky…
Gonn’a have to keep an eye on that boy.

Word of advice.


Never ask your kids what they want to do when you’re standing in view of It’s a Small World.

Noooooooooooo!
You did not just do that!

Again, with the holiday overlay and the altered soundtrack, it really was enjoyable.

Well that’s a rolaids… errr… I mean relief
(television has harmed my spelling abilities rather dramatically).

But for future reference… Ponzi has determined the single best way to survive IASW.

Aurora’s Castle is actually an attraction itself. You can enter the castle and walk up some stairs and there is an entire walkthrough attraction. You see several dioramas that outline parts of the story of Sleeping Beauty.

Again…
I did not know that.

It’s kind of a neat attraction, but it is very dark in there. DD actually kind of freaked out on us a little bit.
I mean let’s face it… There aren’t many characters that are scarier than Maleficent.

True and understandable.

DS was using the end of his belt to whip his horse like he was trying to win the Triple Crown.

My first assessment from Tomrrowland Terrace about the burger situation was upheld. Disneyland QS is better, overall. But WDW has slightly better burgers.

Noted.

Or maybe DL gets grass fed beef. Yeah, I’m going with that theory. Grass fed is the trendy thing, but if you want good flavor it needs to be corn fed.

This public service announcement brought to you by the good folks at I.G.G.I.
The Indiana Grain Growers Initiative…
Corn… It’s not just for moonshine any more.

But I couldn’t help but think about that Dole Whip that I didn’t get earlier that afternoon.

Hummm… a chance for redemption.

So I made the suggestion that we go over to the Tiki Room. You know, because the kids love it!

Oh sure… exactly… without question… Their best interest is always the priority…
We’d all agree with you here.

We walked through the turnstile into the Tiki Room waiting area.

I turned to head for the Dole Whip stand.

When the CM at the door announced last call to enter the show.

Noooooooooo!
Drat! Foiled again.

But it was about the kids anyway.

The show ended and DS had someplace he needed to go. Wanna guess???

That was one heck of a bottle of Sprite.

By that point, those FP’s in my pocket were good and it was time to put them to use. We headed on into Frontierland.

Oh boy, Oh boy!

Thanks to those fantastic rider swap passes, DS was going to get to ride BTMRR after dark… twice!

I knew it! Yeeeeeeeee-Haw!

But DS… the kid got 6 rides on BTMRR. And I think he’d have ridden it 6 more times if he could!

No fool, he.

We had been sitting within maybe 100 feet of each other the whole time and we had no idea.

That one will become part of family lore and receive proper embellishment with each telling.

Always carry the lighter one. That’s my theory anyway.

And a good theory too.

A CM came over and told us we needed to get up because they needed the bench.

What?

What???

That’s what I said.

Apparently, they take all the benches in the area of Frontierland and line them end to end to form a wall for crowd control to keep people leaving Fantasmic! from heading straight to the hub or something?

They don’t have the removable post and rope system that is used at MK all the time during the parades?
That seems rather odd.

But we still had to wait 45 minutes before the fireworks would start.

And I was holding a sleeping 3 year old with no place to sit down.

Yep… that lack of nap seem to be costing ya’ now.
I do feel bad for you though.
Rough on the feet and back.

I met back up with DW, and the street was getting more crowded. But still not bad at all. We had a good view and plenty of room. It was only a few minutes before showtime.


And clearly that’s when Fantasmic! ended and everything got crazy!

Ruh Roh Raggy…

We had a family of about 8 people with no respect for personal space cram into a little tiny area right in front of our stroller.

Well of course they did…

Just like our experience with Mickey’s Magical Map, as soon as DW moved, this family apparently located a better viewing spot and left.

Ahhhh… much better.

The park was going to be open until midnight, but with an early flight in the morning, and 2 sleeping kids we just couldn’t justify hanging around any longer.

Prudent
Sad, but prudent.

We exited towards our right and I kind of paused for a moment in front of the Fire Station. I found Walt’s light in the window and took one last look.

A nice ending to the day there.
Very nice indeed.

 

[pkondz]

Hey, she got her nap. I don’t think she’ll mind.

So she did get a nap. All's well then.
Who cares if the kids are bouncing off the walls. She napped!

Someone apparently must have been proud that we let him handle his own ticket on the way into the park.

Looks like it!

DS, once again, had a blast. I think he was loving the rider swap system and the fact that he was getting plenty of rides on this one!

I want that for adults.
Hmmm.... Maybe next vacay has to be with all three girls.
"Sorry ladies, but BTMRR rules are that only two people can go on and one has to be the primary member, so I'll just have to ride it three times."

I was surprised to board the train and find that the seats are sideways in the cars, and not like the ones at MK.

Huh. Interesting.

It was disappointing that the entire Critter Country area was walled off completely.

Was the whole thing going under renovations? Or is that just the way it is?

I’m not sure which you’d call it because it is basically right between the 2 lands, Tomorrowland and Main Street.

Tomorrow Street. Mainland.

Dinosaurs!

Seriously! I didn’t know this existed.

One of the only things I know about DL. Saw it on another TR and it just stuck, I guess.

I thought it was kind of cool.

You know.

Because, dinosaurs.

Now if only they'd make Dinoland in AK more like a Dino land and less like a cheap amusement park.

We scoped our seats out and found a great location where both kids had nothing but several rows of empty seats in front of them so they could see.

Score!

Just as the show was starting, a couple of people came and sat down literally right in front of DS and DD. The entire row was empty. 20 rows in front of them was empty. And they chose to sit right in front of the kids.

Subtract the "score" comment.
When a place is full, I don't look behind me, but if it's empty? Of course you do!

I can’t blame them.

I can!

Thankfully our row was empty as well so we just slid over a little bit.


And that’s about the time they decided to get up and go find a spot closer to the front of the theater.

Of course they did. Their work was done.

It kind of reminded me of a live action Mickey’s Philharmagic, in a way.

Interesting.

It felt like it was over before it began.

Then it must've been good.

After the show ended, we had to stop at the restroom again.

Again? Well, that must be the last time.

Apparently, while DW was asleep and I was in the parks, DS had helped himself to the rest of the Sprite that had been stashed in the fridge from when he was sick earlier in the week.

Was it a gallon???

Never ask your kids what they want to do when you’re standing in view of It’s a Small World.

Oh, God. Well, that'll learn ya.

​

They sure look happy!

Again, with the holiday overlay and the altered soundtrack, it really was enjoyable.

I'll take your word for it. I don't dare risk it.
"Oh, sorry, the last running of IASW ended 10 minutes ago."

It’s kind of a neat attraction, but it is very dark in there. DD actually kind of freaked out on us a little bit.

Aw, poor little thing.

I mean let’s face it… There aren’t many characters that are scarier than Maleficent.

She's been around a long time, but.... yep.

​

Really nice shot! Love it with the castle lit up like that.

DS was using the end of his belt to whip his horse like he was trying to win the Triple Crown.

Well, sure. He want's to beat all those other horses, right?

After his thrilling race, DS asked to use the restroom, once again.

Seriously? I didn’t even know we had that much Sprite left in the fridge!

Two gallons?

I wanted to give the DL burgers another try. For research purposes, of course.

Sure. Of course. For research.

You know, other than the fact that they can’t tell you anything about road closures. But I digress.

Or maybe DL gets grass fed beef. Yeah, I’m going with that theory. Grass fed is the trendy thing, but if you want good flavor it needs to be corn fed.

Sure. And there's absolutely no bias in that statement whatsoever.

I had just finished eating when DS had to go to the restroom…

Again?!?!?

So I made the suggestion that we go over to the Tiki Room. You know, because the kids love it!

Sure, for the kids.

So no Dole Whip for me.

Aw, man. Too bad.

And our kids just absolutely love it. They sing along with the birds and just have a great time. There’s no way we’re skipping it if they enjoy it that much.

Well, that's probably the best reason I've heard to see it.
I didn't feel like it on my solo trip.

I kind of felt bad for the people sitting behind her though.

Oh, don't worry. Balloon lady didn't mind at all.

Oh, wait.
That's supposed to read "Balloon lady didn't have a mind at all."

But it wasn’t a minute into the show before another lady 2 rows behind her, leaned across the top of the people in between them, tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to keep the balloon down. There was a small round of applause in the theater at that point.

Love it!

The show ended and DS had someplace he needed to go. Wanna guess???

No. You've got to be kidding!

Thanks to those fantastic rider swap passes, DS was going to get to ride BTMRR after dark… twice!

Lucky. See previous comment.

But DS… the kid got 6 rides on BTMRR. And I think he’d have ridden it 6 more times if he could!

I wanna be a kid again.

the girl was tired. She crashed on me in the store.

Poor little tyke.

It took me long enough, but it finally hit me that we were sitting maybe 10 feet away from the shooting gallery. No better place to teach a 5 year old how to handle a rifle than the shooting gallery at Disneyland.

Yes! Absolutely. I totally missed it in MK. Not sure if it's even there still.

Again, with the crowds and darkness I have no idea how he spotted her. But he did.

Young eyes.

Always carry the lighter one. That’s my theory anyway.

Good theory.

Apparently, they take all the benches in the area of Frontierland and line them end to end to form a wall for crowd control to keep people leaving Fantasmic! from heading straight to the hub or something? It looked like they were blocking it off so that the crowd would have to cut through Adventureland and go back to Main Street that way. Fantasmic! wasn’t even starting until 8:45 and it was before 8:30 when they made us get up so they could move the benches.

Benches? Ropes not good enough? That's just weird.

No sooner had she said that than other CM’s were out in force setting up ropes and signs directing traffic.

See? Ropes!

But we still had to wait 45 minutes before the fireworks would start.


And I was holding a sleeping 3 year old with no place to sit down.

That sounds a little... tiring.

And I’ve got to tell you, watching them over Aurora’s castle just isn’t the same as watching them over Cinderella Castle.

Huh. But then again, I'm not all that surprised.

And honestly, when the show ended, DW and I both looked at each other and asked if that was it.

I get it. Too bad though.

I mean literally if you look across the street from Disneyland hotel there are houses. Who wants to hear a huge firework show being shot off in their backyard all the time?

Ya know, my first reaction was "Yes! I want them in my backyard!" and then I thought about it.
Every night? For the rest of my life?

Maybe not.

And it might have been that we were tired and I was just not loving life at the moment because I was in so much discomfort from standing up holding DD for about an hour.

Yeah, that will definitely put a dent in the enjoyment factor.
You can't just forget everything and enjoy when all you're thinking about is when will it end so I can sit down?

I found Walt’s light in the window and took one last look.

We got back to the room and finished packing before going to bed. It had been a whirlwind of a visit to Disneyland with a little bit of a rocky start. But it was worth every minute.

Sounds like you guys sure packed in a lot!
Thanks for the chapter!